The North: 6 cars and 8 hours later…

Rocky hills, cool air and cattle greeted me on a weekend excursion to the Koinadugu district of northern Sierra Leone. The sparsely populated region is known for its agriculture production, specifically cattle and vegetables. On Friday, June 17, Jesse, Lexi and I traveled to Kabala to meet David, the livestock director of the region and masters student at Njala who trekked there a day before to set up the activities. The long weekend was packed with new experiences and stories that came from it. Instead of writing one long post, I divided it up into smaller, more digestible chunks. So…let’s get started…

June 17

When I asked Jesse how we were to get to Kabala, and how long it would take, his answer was, “Don’t worry about it.” A smart man he was to not fully explain the possibilities ahead. With all my necessities and a slim amount of clothes in a small travel backpack (thanks Heather!), I was ready for the first overnight trip away from Njala. Jesse asked a friend to take us to a junction not far from campus where we will wait for a vehicle. As we waited in a makeshift bus stop, he informed me that no one really knows when a car will come by…and sometimes after waiting for hours people will give up and hope for better luck the next day. Not more than 30 minutes later, Jesse found us vehicle #2…something like a taxi. With four adults in the back seat and three in the front of five-passenger car, Lexi and I were excited to be traveling like Africans…thankfully on a nice, paved road.

After a while, and a few passenger changes along the way, our driver stopped at a junction and said he had to transfer us—which is against the agreement he made with Jesse. We crawled out and Lexi and I sat at one of many small stores while Jesse figured out the next step—a very nice Toyota utility vehicle. The girls climbed in the back and Jesse sat with the driver. After a mile it dawned on us…this was a hitchhike. (It ended up being the best one!) We were dropped off again at a junction around lunch time. We chowed down on delicious pork and sweet potatoes Jesse cooked and brought.

Vehicles 4 and 5 are somewhat of a blur of fast drivers, sometimes 10 people crammed in (including a few children), sweaty strangers, and a lot of discomfort. Vehicle #6 and final transportation, was average on the African comfort level. I was becoming tired and easily annoyed on the bumpy dirt road and was just looking past the driver at the next million holes to bounce over, until Jesse pointed out the view. My bad mood quickly drifted away as the scenery changed to beautiful, large rocky hills…and I became excited yet again for what was to come.

Around 6 pm, yes…8 hours later…we arrived in Kabala, switched to motorbike and found ourselves in our accommodations that sit quietly above the city with an awesome view of Kabala to the south and the Wara Wara mountains to the west. After dinner on the porch and a brief meeting with the agriculture director of the region, it was time to sleep.

Joyful Journeys,

Julie